The Diameter protocol is a next generation authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) protocol. The Diameter base protocol is defined in IETF RFC 3588, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Commonly used within the Internet multimedia subsystem (IMS) architecture, the Diameter protocol was derived from the remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS) protocol. Historically, the RADIUS protocol was employed by Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide a secure communication channel between an ISP's access server and a secure location where user credential information was stored, e.g., a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) server. While the RADIUS protocol provided a standardized AAA exchange protocol, the emergence of new technologies and applications necessitated the development of a protocol capable of meeting ever-changing demands. Diameter aims to extend the standardized approach of RADIUS while providing expanded functionality and remaining open to future development.
As the prevalence of the Diameter protocol increases within providers' telecommunication networks, many providers are turning to distributed architectures for processing and routing the accompanying increase in volume of Diameter message traffic. While a distributed architecture may offer a provider advantages such as load balancing and redundancy, it also presents various issues. One such issue is providing for the screening of Diameter messages within such a distributed architecture.
Accordingly, a need exists for methods, systems, and computer readable media for screening Diameter messages within a DSR having a distributed message processor architecture.